This confidence was echoed by industry leaders during the Semiconductor and Electronics sub-working group (SubWG) meeting at the Board of Investments (BOI) building in Makati City on Feb. 7.
Scaling up the semiconductor value chain
Charade Avondo, president of Xinyx Design and chair of the SubWG for promotion and events, highlighted the country’s ongoing shift toward high-value semiconductor services.
“The Philippines is already recognized for its semiconductor manufacturing capabilities,” said Avondo. “We should also highlight the expertise of Filipino engineers in IC design and position the country as an all-in-one semiconductor powerhouse.”
The group discussed participation in Semicon Europa 2025 in Munich, Germany—the largest platform for the European semiconductor industry.
This event offers the Philippines a strategic opportunity to showcase its capabilities and forge stronger ties with European semiconductor firms.
Strengthening the semiconductor workforce
Addressing the talent gap remains a top priority. Since 2023, Xinyx Design has led initiatives such as Xinyx Unlocked, a national innovation competition, and Campus Connect, an annual university caravan.
Additionally, Xinyx will soon sign an agreement with TUP Manila to introduce microelectronics courses, further supporting the government’s goal of producing 128,000 engineers by 2032.
Avondo announced they will be targeting K-12 students through LABS by Xinyx, a premium, flexible training platform to nurture interest in microelectronics and IC (integrated circuit) design. This is in support of the government’s goal in producing 128,000 engineers by 2032, a goalpost that was moved up from 2028.
Xinyx plans to take this project in both private and public schools but found some difficulty due to the long process involved in conducting activities within public schools.
Gov’t and industry collaboration
Both the BOI and Xinyx have been making efforts in pushing the government to increase support for semiconductor industry projects.
The BOI is drafting an executive order to be submitted to President Marcos seeking to prioritize the sector and ease the approval of projects in revitalizing the industry.
Avondo also disclosed that the academe and private sector are pushing the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to create more specialized majors in colleges, like BS Microelectronics. — Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
